The Slap Heard 'Round the Pokemon Center
by blamethefeels
Summary: Ash and crew are in a Pokemon Center in Santalune City, when a certain purple-headed figure enters the building and goes up to Ash. Comashipping


**I made a text post and this blossomed…**

* * *

"Nurse Joy, can you give my pokémon a checkup?" Ash said as he approached the counter at the Santalune Pokémon Center.

"Of course! I'll take good care of them," Nurse Joy said as Ash handed over his pokéballs and Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and onto the counter.

"Thanks."

Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont were all sat around a table conversing when the door to the center slammed open. They turned to see a purple-headed boy stalking towards them angrily with his head down. Ash recognized him immediately.

"Paul!" he said happily as he stood up to greet him…

…but was greeted instead with a hard slap to the face that knocked his hat off and nearly knocked him off his feet. He stumbled around for a few seconds before getting his balance back.

"What was that for?!" Ash shouted, a hand to the red handprint that sprawled across his cheek.

"That's for nearly getting yourself killed!" Paul said, finally looking up. There were tears streaming down his face.

"Uh… Which time?" Ash asked, scratching his head. Paul's eyes widened.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHICH TIME?!"

"Why don't we take this outside, you're kinda making a scene," Serena sweatdropped.

"What kind of idiot jumps off of Prism Tower like that?" Paul asked, tears welling up again.

"Well, I-"

Ash was cut off by a pair of lips on his. (You could practically hear the sound of Serena's heart shattering into a million pieces.)

"Paul, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine," Paul said, finally calming down and wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"I'm sorry if I worried you. I was thinking in the moment, Pikachu fell like that and I just jumped. If it wasn't for that Blaziken I definitely wouldn't have made it," Ash said.

"It's just, I was in Kalos anyway to challenge the gyms here and was resting in the Geosenge Pokémon Center when the news came on and there you were, on top of Prism Tower with that crazed Garchomp trying to calm it. 'Typical Ash,' I thought. Then your Pikachu fell and you jumped after it," Paul said.

"I'm alive now and that's what matters, right?" Ash said, a smile on his face.

"Yeah."

"Now come here," Ash said, pulling Paul into a hug. Of course, Paul was hugging him a little too hard and Ash was getting to where he couldn't breathe.

"I hate to interrupt, but could you maybe introduce us?" Clemont asked. Paul let go and broke the hug.

"Of course! This is Paul, I met him in Sinnoh," Ash said. "Paul, this is Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie."

Serena's eyes were streaming as she greeted him. Bonnie couldn't be happier to meet someone new.

"And this is Dedenne!" Bonnie said, lifting her bag towards Paul as little Dedenne popped out.

"Nice to meet you all, I guess," Paul said. He mindlessly reached for Ash's hand and grasped it. Ash noticed and smiled, looking back up at Paul's face.

"We're kinda dating," Ash said.

"There's no 'kinda' to it," Paul said with a small smile and a blush. (Cue the sound of Serena's heart breaking even more.)

"Wow! I'm so happy for you, Ash! You found a keeper!" Bonnie said, throwing her arms in the air. "When will you find a keeper, Clemont?"

"I-I-I'm not looking for one right now, Bonnie!" Clemont stuttered out, utterly embarrassed.

"I don't know if I can handle this," Serena groaned under her breath.

"It's nice to see you again," Ash said as he and Paul walked towards the door.

"Nice to see you too. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I lost the Unova League," Ash said.

"Yeah, I saw."

"I'm okay, though. I'm going to enter the Kalos League and win that one!" Ash said.

"Good luck," Paul said. They stopped near a bed of flowers and stood in content silence for a minute.

"I missed you," Ash said.

"I missed you, too."

"Can we travel together?"

"I don't know~" Paul said teasingly.

"Come on, Paul, it'd be fun!"

"Yeah, I'll travel with you if it's okay with your friends."

"Awesome!" Ash said, pulling Paul into a kiss.


End file.
